July 2024 marked the 60th consecutive month that background checks for retail gun sales exceeded 1 million, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) announced Monday.
According to the NSSF:The total number of nationwide instant criminal background checks on gun sales in July was 106,790.
“The last time monthly background checks related to retail firearm sales fell below one million was in July 2019, when 830,579 background checks for firearm sales were recorded,” the NSSF noted.
“NSSF is pleased to welcome this award to the NSSF,” said Joe Bartozzi, president and CEO.
“Our more than 1 million background checks per month over the past five years represent the free expression of our Second Amendment rights during difficult and challenging times, including the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused some state governors to close gun stores, and the Biden-Harris Administration’s “zero tolerance” policy that has revoked firearms sales licenses. During this time, Americans who never before considered legally owning a firearm have decided to become firearm owners. We are proud of our industry’s commitment to providing law-abiding citizens across the country with the means to exercise these rights.”
Breitbart News has noted on multiple occasions that the FBI’s monthly reports on background check numbers don’t provide accurate figures for gun sales in any given month because some states routinely conduct background checks on concealed carry permit holders and first-time permit applicants, neither of which are the result of a gun sale.
The NSSF sifts through FBI background check reports, whittles them down until only background checks on actual sales remain, and publishes those figures, which have totaled more than 1 million every month for 60 consecutive months.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the author and curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is a political analyst for Armed American Radio, a member of Gun Owners of America, and the Global Marketing Director for Lone Star Hunts. He was a visiting scholar at the Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal in 2010 and earned his PhD in Military History. Follow him on Instagram: FollowYou can subscribe to Downrange at breitbart.com/downrange . To contact me directly, please email awrhawkins@breitbart.com
